There have recently been so many movements and headlines about sexual harassment. With the MeToo hashtag and women talking openly about it, the environment around the topic is a far cry from what it was a few decades ago. With women stepping forward, many of them in higher positions in a society like Hollywood stars, about their experiences, it is empowering more and more women to do so.
There are times when people who have faced sexual harassment, that they must put up with it due to being scared of losing their jobs and the financial implications of it. In fact, reporting sexual harassment is nothing to be feared, but instead, it should be reported to prevent it from continuing.
Defining sexual harassment
It is against the law to harass an employee because of their sexual orientation or gender in the state of Los Angeles and throughout California. When an employee is discriminated against or harassed sexually then it is classified as gender discrimination. Gender discrimination deals with issues such as unequal pay and other gender issues but sexual harassment tends to place focus on making the workplace uncomfortable and harassment present in the workplace.
To state that there is actually sexual harassment going on the state of California takes the stance that it is constant and persistent unless it is a major event that cannot be misinterpreted. It cannot be just one or two passing comments.
Types of sexual harassment
There are two different types of sexual harassment:
- Quid pro quo: This is where an employee is asked for sexual things in favor of rewards like a pay rise, bonuses, and promotions. This is something that occurs a lot in industries such as films or career areas that are male-dominated. Often in these situations, the victim will turn down the offer made, this can result in detrimental effects on the career of the person facing the quid pro quo harassment. They could face the loss of a job, unfair disciplinary action, or loss of working hours.
More often than not this type of sexual harassment is normally conducted by people in power, such as bosses, company executives, or line managers.
- Hostile work environment: This is where the general environment of your workplace becomes uncomfortable and hostile due to sexual harassment. This is not carried out by bosses but by co-workers and people working in the same position as the victim. Various factors can be construed as sexual harassment. Anything like lewd comments, unwanted touching or sexual advances, and offering employment benefits for sexual favors are all construed as creating a hostile work environment due to sexual harassment.
If you have been faced with sexual harassment in your workplace and your employer has not made any efforts to correct this, or the sexual harassment was done by the employer themselves then sexual harassment lawyers in Los Angeles are here to fight for your rights and get you the justice that you are entitled to. If you need advice and help from a sexual harassment lawyer in Los Angeles call Rager & Yoon – Employment Lawyers at 310-527-6994